Love's Cost
by nejimistress
Summary: The goddess of love and destiny, Freya, gives Toothless a week to show Hiccup his love. But will it come at a cost too high?
1. Flames of the Goddess

The wind was bitter cold that night, the stars shining brightly under the new moon. A shadow moved through the constellations, first through Ursa Minor then Dracos. The shadow was moving north, towards the mountains that covered the land, their caps constantly covered in snow.

Toothless moved his wings in a steady rhythm, his long wingspan giving him excellent speed and maneuverability. Because of his species, he was the rarest breed of dragons: the most intellectual, the fastest, and the one most capable of feelings.

It was because of these abilities that he found himself on this journey.

He maneuvered through the mountain range, avoiding jutting cliffs with a graceful ease. His senses were telling him where to go, the fringe on his neck vibrating for the right direction. She knew he was coming; she was guiding him.

Finally, his eyes landed on a cliff covered in snow. With adjustment to his wings, he landed in the cold fluff. Before him stood a cave that spilled the warmth of a promised fire. There was a hesitation in his step; a sense of foreboding falling over him as he looked into the cave. Still, he needed to do this. He needed to talk to her.

With a mind set of determination he pushed forward, folding his wings to his body so he could fit into the entrance of the cave. Instantly, a wave of warmth fell over his scales and his golden green eyes flickered around his environment, adjusting to the light slowly. He was at the top of a stone staircase, surrounded by stone walls filled with roots growing from wedges in the rock.

A light smoke came from the depths of the cave, as if asking him to step closer. Remembering his determination, he followed the waves of smoke. With each step farther into the cave, the cold night air faded into inexistence and an easy warmth spread over him. At the base of the stairs, he found two trays on stone ledges that held incense as an offering and before him a large wooden door. Its width easily spread the length of his wing span and its height would put some houses to shame.

The door of the goddess.

He let out a soft growl, telling those within of his presence. For a moment, nothing happened. The sound of the wind howling across the cave entrance echoed down the stairway, sending a shiver down the reptile's spine. His attention turned away from the door for a moment as he glanced but up the stairs longingly, not wanting to meddle with the great gods.

But it was too late to go back now. A creaking sound filled the entrance room Toothless found himself in, an old woman appearing in the creak of the door. She was hutched over, leaning on a cane made from a twisted branch. Her face was drawn, as if more years than a life had to offer had passed by her eyes. She spoke and her voice cracked with old age. "Dragon, please come in."

The door opened wider and toothless entered, finding himself in a room of luxury and comfort. A warm fire crackled in the fire place, surrounded by plush pillows and blankets made of the finest cotton. An intricately woven rug lay before the hearth, detailing the events of how a goddess of love had obtained the blue cats that rode across the sky in the golden chariot with her. He found himself staring at the detailed pictures, unable to pull away from the enticing story. The old woman nodded knowingly at his fascination, closing the heavy oak door with a heavy thud. She then limped over to stand beside the elegant blue scaled beast, a hand resting on top of the other while leaning over with the support of the cane.

"The Lady has a way of getting things she desires," she said, eyeing the dragon precariously. Toothless smiled, just how Hiccup had taught him. It was that very attribute about the goddess that sent chills of worry down his spine.

A door off to the side of the foyer creaked open. Toothless and the old woman turned, gazing at the bare beauty of the goddess of love and destiny, Freya.

She walked in, her bare footsteps falling softly on the warm floor. Thick, strawberry blonde curls tussled around her oval face, accentuating the starkness of the intense blue eyes. As she neared them, the old woman walked over to the back of a chair, setting her cane down against the wooden piece of furniture and picking up a fine robe made of linen, detailed impactions of the night sky sewn into the fabric. The goddess walked towards her, extending an arm to be cloaked in the soft fabric.

Toothless watched, unable to look away from the sight of the goddess to be certain. She was the definition of mate, no matter the species. Freya watching the dragons eyes knowingly, pulling the robe around her. "And what have you come for, Night Fury of the sky?" she asked, her voice the sound of snow falling on a windless day.

The bluntness of the question caught him off guard but he made soft sounds, telling the glorious lady in his own words why he had come. Once he was finished, the goddess smiled, sitting herself on the floor in front of the hearth and running her hands through the flames. "You wish to show the one you love your affection and gratitude? Such is a noble cause, a plea of the heart." She picked up some of the flames in her hand, watching them dance. "But asking such a thing comes at a price."

He growled, already disliking the turn of events. Would this price be something he could not afford to give? His muscles tensed, ready to flee the room if need be.

"Easy, little Night Fury. Hear me before you make your decision." She stood slowly, the constellations on her robe falling easily around her slender frame. "I can turn you into a human; make you capable of connecting with him in new ways. But it will not last. Within a week you shall transform into your natural form, a dragon for all eternity. I will be powerless to change you back again."

Toothless relaxed a little at this news. So far, nothing mentioned would be something horrible to live with.

"The price paid will be heartbreak." The goddess moved towards the dragon, extending the warm fire towards his lips. "If you can accept this, eat the fire." Her stormy blue eyes never left his, eagerness apparent.

Without much hesitation, he leaned forward and took the flames gingerly from the goddess's hand. They tickled the inside of his mouth before flowing down the back of his throat, a warm sensation spreading through his heart.

The last thing he saw that night was the knowing smile of a goddess.


	2. A Rude Awakening

Toothless awoke in the rafters of a longhouse, looking around the room upside down. His eyes blinked a few times slowly, adjusting to the morning light spilling through the windows. He could hear the bustling sounds of the town as they prepared to depart for the battle with a neighboring clan. It was the typical adventures of a village full of Vikings, eager to earn their pass to Valhalla.

He yawned lazily, releasing his grip on the beam that held him in place. He expected to extend his wings like normal and land on the floor with a delicate ease. Instead he found himself falling, unable to stop the decent. He let out a small cry of shock before smashing into the wooden floor.

With a groan, he rolled himself onto his hands and knees, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his blurred vision. It had happened so fast he hadn't noticed why he had fallen in the first place. But as he tried to put a hand to his throbbing head, he saw the reason.

Fingers, pale and slender. Long arms and flesh covering his body. He looked over his shoulder and found no wings on his back, causing him to start hyperventilating. Where was his body? His breathing was rigid, his muscles tense. He tried to stand, wobbly legs making it difficult but with the support of a beam he managed to keep his footing.

A human body.

His mind flashed back to the dream he had. Freya, a hearth, flames. He shook his head, trying to make heads or tails of the pieces he could remember. "A week," the voice in the back of his mind told him and he found himself wondering if the dream had been reality. But how is that possible? He couldn't fly anywhere without Hiccup.

Hiccup. Toothless looked around the longhouse and found that he was indeed alone. Hiccup must be with his father, preparing the dragons for the aerial attack. He smiled after remembering the man he loved, all the tension and stress on his body evaporating. He had been given his chance.

With careful steps, he pulled away from the beam and walked towards Hiccup's room. If he was going to get out there, he needed something to put on. After digging through the man's wardrobe, he managed to find a large brown tunic that fit his muscular frame and a pair of leggings. The boots on the other hand were a different matter. 'His feet are so small…' he thought to himself.

He found himself wandering around the longhouse, eventually finding his way into Stoick's room. There, he found a pair of spare boots made out of cattle hides. He sat on the end of the cot, slipping one onto his foot. It was so large it almost fell off.

'Brilliant, one is too small and the other too large,' he thought while standing back up barefoot. After searching through the house for a few minutes, he came back to the bedroom and put the large boots back on his feet, tying them tightly around his ankle with a piece of leather binding he had aquired. Though they would be awkward to wear, they would work for now.

He was thankful for all his time with the humans. Without it, he would be completely unaware of why they wore such heavy clothing. Yes…it had been three years now since the dragons had become members of this society. Three long years he had loved Hiccup and been unable to tell him.

With a new found eagerness, he stood and ran for the door of the longhouse. Once he opened the heavy wooden barrier, a strong wind nearly knocked him over. If he hadn't already gotten the hang of having legs he would have surely been knocked over. He pulled a piece of his ebony black hair out of his face and looked around, eager to find the one he sought.

Dragons roared from the rooftops immediately outside of the house. It was strange, he still understood their words. 'Perhaps once I know the tongue I can never forget it,' he thought to himself while walking down the stairs, stepping onto the trail that lead down towards the heart of the village and the forge. Perhaps Hiccup was there.

He quickly started his decent down the trail, catching the eye of a few stray villagers up that way. He knew it must look odd, a new face they had never seen before. They probably thought he was a spy from the other clan but he couldn't worry about that now. All he could think about was Hiccup.

At the bottom of the hill he found a few sheep grazing lazily on the cliffs edge, no longer in fear for their lives from the hungry dragons. He heard the clanking of metal from inside the forge and knew it was the blacksmith preparing weapons for the imminent battle ahead.

With a few drops of sweat on his forehead from the beating sun and his nerves, he walked towards the forge and pushed the front door open. Before him, with his back turned, stood the seasoned warrior Gobber. He had a hammer strapped into his bad arm and was pounding away on metal, trying to straighten out the dents by repeatedly heating and cooling. His grunts from the labor could just be heard over the clank of metal.

Toothless gazed around the room, not being noticed by the tall man as of yet. Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. With a sigh of disappointment, Toothless turned to go but was stopped by a rough hand on his shoulder. "An' who migh' you be?" Gobber asked in his thick accent, caution and tension visible through the muscles in his arm.

He turned around, gold green eyes growing slightly worried. If Gobber thought he was a spy, it would be his quick demise. But as he opened his mouth to speak, the door opened and in walked Hiccup. The boy of sixteen that Toothless had first met had changed a lot in these three years. His hair was still cut in a similar matter, but his frame was more muscular from all the work in the forge and his face more defined with sharp angles. He walked with a slight limp, due to the lost limb from their battle together but he did it in a still graceful manner without much thought to it.

A smile blossomed over Toothless's face and he walked over to Hiccup, resting a hand on his arm. Gobber looked at this display of affection with a raised eyebrow, gesturing for Hiccup to explain. But Hiccup missed the gesture; he was staring up at the familiarity of the man's eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked, caution blurring into his voice with a hint of apprehension.

"It's me, Toothless," he said. Or so he had wanted to say. All that came out was the roars and gargles of the dragon tongue. He instantly closed his mouth tightly, unsure if he had truly just spoken the tongue of dragons while in a human form.

The two men stared at the stranger perplexed. Toothless opened his mouth to try again but just as before only the dragon language emerged. He covered his mouth with his hand, cursing the gods for their trickery.


	3. Author's Note

A note to all who are following this story.

First off – Thank you so much! I never expected the story to do so remarkably well and I am happy that you are all enjoying it

Secondly – Please be patient with me. Finals are this week and next week and I've been working my ass off! Once the semester is over I will be able to update again, so please remain patient with me.

Thirdly – If any of you would like to talk to me, I would love to hear from my fans. If you have a deviantart account, my screen name is ChiyuFuteki. Please talk to me on there!

Fourth and lastly – If any of you have a request for the story, I'm willing to hear them. If you see a plot hole forming in the story, tell me asap! I don't own the movie yet and though I saw it multiple times, my memory is becoming fuzzy.

Thank you again everyone!

3 Ari Chan


	4. Remembering

"We'l now, tha' is a problem," Gobber said while eyeing Toothless, distrust becoming an apparent emotion on his worn face. However, Hiccup was more preoccupied with other things about this stranger than his lack of speech skills.

"Those are my father's boots," he said quietly, almost to himself. Gobber thankfully did not hear this statement but Toothless picked up on the quiet voice as if he still had his superb hearing. He started to squirm under the sudden quizzical gaze of Hiccup. He knew the other would be able to tell that all the clothing came from his house with relative ease, given the sleeve of the tunic had a hammer etched into the fabric, something his mother had done while still alive.

Hiccup's face was beginning to turn to one of anger and Toothless wanted to avoid that reaction as much as possible. He quickly grabbed the others arm and yanked him out of the forge, the yells and curses of Gobber following in their wake. Hiccup tried to yank his arm away from the stranger, but to no avail.

They ran through the village, Toothless occasionally stumbling because of the large boots. On one such occasion, Hiccup attempted to help the decent with a quick extension of his leg but Toothless, being his partner in every battle, saw it coming and quickly regained his balance and leapt over the limb.

He could hear Hiccup cursing. None of his attempts at escape were working.

Near the bottom of the village, there was a fork in the road. To the right would mean the docks. To the left you would go towards the forest. Toothless veered left and almost crashed into Snotlout and Astrid. The memory of Astrid leaving Hiccup for that whelp seared into Toothless's mind. Her excuse was that he was too interested in dragons, that he never gave her enough attention. What she didn't notice was the effect of the break up on Hiccup. Seeing them together always made Toothless snarl, even in his human state.

Hiccup's ears perked up at the snarl and his minded reeled with thoughts that were illogical.

Finally, they ran into the forest. The village was moving farther behind them and disappearing between the stumps of trees. They ran for some time, uphill then downhill. Toothless could hear the rasping breath from Hiccup behind him but they were almost there. If he could speak to him he would sure as hell find a way to tell the other who he was.

"Here!" he thought to himself before slamming to a halt on a ridge that overlooked a small pond. "This is where we-" He was cut off in his thought process as Hiccup failed to slam on the breaks, shooting out over the ridge. Toothless refused to let go of him but despite his strength was unable to prepare himself for the extra weight pulling him forward.

They both fell over the ridge, grunts and groans of pain following their decent. When they stopped, Toothless was upside down and looking up at the swaying branches and Hiccup was on his stomach, shaking his head while getting onto all fours.

"Sorry," Toothless tried to say but once again, it came out only as dragon words. He sighed, rolling over and climbing to his feet, holding a hand out to Hiccup who took it after a moment's hesitation.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked. Though he knew where they were and he had a hypothesis about who this stranger before him was, Hiccup still couldn't wrap his head around it. It was impossible.

Toothless growled in frustration, racking his brain to come up with some way to tell Hiccup who it was. He looked around the area for anything that would bring back a memory. A fish from the pond? No good. He couldn't fly like he used to or breathe fire to make a warm bed.

Then his eye landed on a branch and an idea struck him.

He quickly walked over to it, Hiccup following cautiously. When he turned around with the branch in hand, Hiccup took a step back as if expecting a fight. But instead, Toothless began drawing in the dirt. He twirled around Hiccup, making no picture in general but making sure Hiccup ended up in the middle of his art. When he was done, he dropped the branch and stared at Hiccup, waiting for the light bulb to go on.

Hiccup stared at him, a feeling of déjà vu surging through him. "It's impossible," he thought to himself again but decided he needed to test it. He stepped on one of the lines.

Toothless growled.

He took his foot off the line and Toothless went back to blank expression. Hiccup repeated the process and got the same reaction. "He snarls at Astrid, he is wearing clothing from my house, he brought me here, and…" his thoughts trailed off, unable to comprehend that he was really about to ask this.

"Are you…Toothless?" he asked, his voice ringing through the clearing with the question that seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. The stranger before him smiled and for a moment, he could see Toothless in the human. At that point, he didn't need an answer.

He ran towards his friend, cursing as he had to hop through the art to make sure not to step on any of the lines, and then bulldozed his friend down in a tight hug. "What are you doing? How can you be a human?" He asked in a frantic voice, staring up at the greenish gold eyes of his dragon and companion.

Alright all you crazy fans out there ._. Im sorry its taken me so long to post. Finals are officially done and that means posts much more frequently. However, this one post is short. Before you claw at my neck let me explain! I am sick ._. that's right I wrote you all a chapter while I was sick! So be thankful

What this also means is there are likely more typos or even a sentence or two that just makes no sense at all. If you run across one of those…Im sorry! Forgive this foolish writer.


	5. Mammal

He ran towards his friend, cursing as he had to hop through the art to make sure not to step on any of the lines, and then bulldozed his friend down in a tight hug. "What are you doing? How can you be a human?" he asked in a frantic voice, staring up at the greenish gold eyes of his dragon and companion.

Toothless almost lost his balance when Hiccup leaped on him but was instantly happy from the contact. The sensation of Hiccup holding him, even as a friend, while in his human body was overpowering.

Somehow, he managed to keep control of his desire to hold to other man as a lover and simply patted his shoulder. 'Why am I hesitating?' he thought to himself. 'It's finally my chance…' But before Toothless could finish thinking of the possibility of provoking a tender moment with Hiccup, the opportunity was gone.

Hiccup was walking around Toothless, examining and lifting limbs. He raised a sleeve to see if there were hidden scales, made him lift his leg so he could see if it functioned properly, and tussled his hair to make sure it wasn't made from an animal. He even lifted the back of his tunic to expose the his tender lower back. When Hiccup's fingers brushed over the soft flesh, it sent goose bumps coursing over Toothless's arms.

"This is amazing…and frankly impossible," Hiccup whispered in disbelief while slumping to sit on the ground. He tilted his head back and stared at his companion, his human companion whom he knew so well as a fearless dragon.

Toothless managed to sit down beside Hiccup without loosing his balance; however, when he tried to cross his legs as many humans did when they sat on the ground he found himself falling backwards and landing with a thud. He winced as a rock dug into his back but was unable to move to rid himself of the pain. His legs were a jumble that he seemed incapable of untangling.

Laughter filled the small enclosure as Hiccup reached over to assist with the unweaving. Once Toothless stopped his flailing, getting him sitting in the proper position became a matter of ease, so long as the reptile had something to lean against. Hiccup noticed with bubbles of laughter that Toothless did not have the back strength required to keep the position otherwise.

"Do you dragons not know how to use your back muscles?" he asked between fits of laughter once they has positioned themselves against a rock. Toothless's jaw clenched and he glared at his companion. He wanted to say a witty rebuttal but knew if he tried it would only send Hiccup back into his rage of laughter with his dragon gurgles coming from a human mouth.

Reminding himself that he couldn't talk with Hiccup as he had so hoped made a glimmer of sadness cross his face. Most wouldn't notice the small expression but Hiccup, whom was Toothless's closest and dearest companion and who knew him best instantly caught it. He extended a finger towards the brow of his friend, pressing a finger into the worry lines that were forming on his forehead.

"Even as a human, you are the easiest reptile to read."

Toothless chuckled, flicking his head to the side to rid himself of the poke. He couldn't help but try and reply, a cascade of dragon tongue flowing from his mouth. His cheeks flushed and he sighed, looking down as the worry lines became apparent on his face again.

Hiccup watched as his friends face altered to the strained expression of one whom was lost. He thought he understood.

"I don't see why you can't talk. You have the right vocal cords now and you know the human language." Hiccup sighed and leaned back against the rock, staring up at the sky for a moment before speaking again. "Have you really tried?"

The glare he got at such a stupid question made him smirk, withholding a chuckle. "Really Toothless…you spent your whole life as a dragon. Speaking like a dragon would come naturally, normally. Try making your mouth move like a human and the sounds you make sound like a human."

Toothless stared at him dumbfounded, then realized what he was saying made sense in some strange way. He tried, again only emanated the jumbles of dragon. But with the encouragement of Hiccup he continued to try.

They practiced for hours, Toothless moving his mouth in new and unusual ways. He tried to mimic Hiccup, whom was speaking slowly so Toothless could really watch how his mouth moved. He noticed how the tongue would press against the teeth to make certain sounds, or how the mouth made different shapes.

After the sun had moved from the east to high noon and both of their stomachs were growling, they took a break. Hiccup functioned a quick spear out of a stick and a rock that had the shape of a spear and went to the ponds edge. Toothless sat back and watched, knowing this was going to be one of those moments he treasured, along with many of Hiccups other… failures.

Hiccup wadded into the pond until he was almost waist deep, the spear held above his head ready for the plunge into the water. A fish swam by. The scales glimmered in the sun. The spear darted into the water, a splash erupted from the smooth surface, and on the head of the spear emerged a glimmering fish.

Toothless clapped from the side lines, surprised that it had gone so well. It was then that Hiccup turned around and started walking back, a childish smile of happiness plastered on his face until he lost his footing on a loose rock beneath the waters surface. He plummeted into the water face first, a scream of surprise echoing in the closure.

Toothless started laughing hysterically, tilting his head back and holding his side as he rolled around on the ground. Hiccup pulled his face out from the muddy water and glared towards his companion, trying to wipe the grime off his face with a muddle hand, leaving him just as if not more filthy. "Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile."

He stopped his laughing long enough to shout over to him, "Mammal!" Hiccup stared at his friend who continued to roll on the ground, shocked that he had heard a human word come from his mouth. He had begun to loose hope that it was possible but…he had just done it.

'Without realizing,' he noticed, a smirk coming to his lips. Toothless was continuing his fit of laughter, eyes closed as tears spilled from them. Hiccup stood up and grabbed a pile of the mud off his face, smirking as he walked towards the other.

_Splat!_

_The mud ball splattered against Toothless's smug face, much to Hiccups satisfaction and Toothless's dismay. He sat up, a look of shock on his face. Then, with speed Hiccup had to wonder if was really human, Toothless ran over and tackled him, tossing them back into the shallows of the water. The water instantly became a muddy color as Hiccup's face became visible past the layers of muck. _

_Toothless straddled Hiccup's waist, making sure the other was able to keep his head above water. Then, Toothless smiled down at him, grabbing some mud from the water floor and dripping it slowly onto Hiccups face. _

_The flailing caused a huge splash of water and Toothless eventually let up, laughing and releasing Hiccup from his muddy demise. _

_After he had caught his breath, he sat up and glared to Toothless. "And after all that tutoring I did for you, which apparently paid off very well." The questioning look he got verified that Toothless had spoken human without realizing. _

"_You spoke." _

_Toothless raised a questioning eyebrow, then replied "I did not." Then his eyes enlarged and he covered his mouth with his hand, awe plastered over his face. _

_They stared at each other for a moment, Hiccup smiling and Toothless just dumb struck until finally Hiccup rolled his eyes and pushed the other into the water. "Come on, we lost our fish. We need to clean up and get back to the village so we can eat. I'm starved." _

"_You're always hungry now a days," was the reply he got, though it took a while to form the words. Hiccup didn't seem to mind having to wait. He seemed to be enjoying watching the other talk, hearing the deep voice that was smooth, but carried a hint of rugged edges. _

_Agreeing that they needed to eat, they both waded into the water and rinsed the mud from their clothing and skin. Toothless was having some trouble getting the mud from behind his ear and Hiccup had to roll his eyes before simply submerging the others head into the water to clean it up. _

_They laughed and splashed each other for a moment before coming out of the water. Hiccup removed his tunic to ring it out. Water poured from the fibers but that is not what caught Toothless's gaze. The sun was hitting his skin at a wonderful angle, putting shadows along the left of his abs and making the rest of his skin shine with the water droplets that remained. Hiccup caught him staring and he quickly looked away, ringing out pieces of the bottom of his tunic instead of taking it off. _

_They then began their walk home, Hiccup throwing the tunic on as they walked. They talked easily on the way home, Hiccup accepting the time it took for Toothless to form the words needed to explain a point. _

_They talked about pointless things, the weather and Gobbler. Eventually the conversation edged towards what it was like as a dragon in the village and Toothless couldn't help but voice his one complaint. _

"_We need more meat! If you feed us any more of that artificial meat your father bought off of that traveling salesman, there may very well be a rebellion of fire." _

_Hiccup chuckled, having a feeling that was coming. "I'll se that I can do about that but you guys were eating all our fish!" Toothless made a face that expressed, "so" and caused Hiccup to roll his eyes. _

_Before long they had made their way through the forest and were on the outskirts of the village. Toothless stopped, hesitating before entering the border of their home. "What if Gobbler has sounded an alarm? I kidnapped you." _

"_Easy enough to explain, but I think we should keep the 'magical transformation' down to a minimum." _

_Toothless sighed, worried and not exactly liking the idea of a village of Vikings attacking him. Still, he knew he had to trust Hiccup on this one and they proceeded towards the village. Much to both of their dismays, the village was in a crazed hustle. They both thought it was because of Hiccup's disappearance but after questioning a few of the Vikings who actually took the time to stop, they realized the neighboring clan had tried to surprise the village with an attack from the south. Luckily, one of their aerial scouts had discovered their whereabouts in time. _

"_To arms!" _

"_Ge' them axes to the men!" _

"_Move, yer in tha way!" _

_The voices were roars throughout the area and many were mounting their dragons, preparing for the inevitable battle. _

_Hiccup and Toothless exchanged glances, not sure how they could help with Toothless in his current form. The town moved around them as they felt lost in a sea of battle they no longer had a raft in. _


End file.
